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Arkansas poultry farmers navigate canceled contracts & bankruptcy fallout

Tyson announced in August it would cut ties with any of its poultry farmers who had two years or less on their contract.

GREEN FOREST, Ark. — The upheaval in the poultry industry in the last year has been enough to last many farmers a lifetime.

Some Northwest Arkansas farmers are scrambling in the wake of news from poultry companies like Tyson Foods Inc. of Springdale and Cooks Venture of Decatur (Benton County). Tyson, in the midst of a disastrous year in its poultry segment, announced in August it would cut ties with any of its poultry farmers who had two years or less on their existing contract.

Dozens of farmers in Carroll County were affected by the Tyson Foods news. Many hoped to switch to other integrators, such as Cooks Venture, but that option closed when Cooks Ventures stopped operations in November and filed for bankruptcy.

To read more on issues in the poultry industry, our content partner Arkansas Business has the full article here.

Credit: Arkansas Business (Michael Woods)
Paul Wells, a poultry farmer in Green Forest, is starting over raising eggs after his integrator went out of business. (Michael Woods)

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